


Road Trip!

by orphan_account



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: (is that something you tag?), Alternate Universe - Road Trip, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Gen, M/M, Road Trips, Slow Burn, Tagging as I go, Trans Female Pidge | Katie Holt, Trans Lance (Voltron), Unsuccessful Cryptid Hunting, illegal parking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-11
Updated: 2017-07-20
Packaged: 2018-11-30 16:33:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11467410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Lance decides it's about time he and his problematic flight team learned to work together. As the best co-pilot in the Garrison, he is prone to brilliant ideas. That's how, of course, he came up with the plan to avoid studying for exams by going on a week long road trip to who knows where.Hours of boredom, many nights at shady motels, cryptid hunting, and running from the police ensues.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so first off this is purely self indulgent, I'm not editting at all or on a schedule, and I have no idea where this is going. It might end up being 10k words. It might end up being 100k words. I don't know. I don't have a plot yet. Just a bunch of ideas I want to string together somehow. 
> 
> This past week, I've come out to my close friends as a transgender boy. It's been a really tough time tbh, and my dysphoria has been ramped up just by the fact that I've come to terms with who and what I am. 
> 
> So, I'm escaping from the stress and pressure and dysphoria by writing some trans girl Pidge and trans boy Lance friendship, some wholesome, slowburn Klance, and some brotp Hance. 
> 
> This is also partially because I'm going on vacation at the end of the week with my family, none of whom I'm out to yet, and I want something cute to write while I'm in the car ?? Because it'll be a long drive with no wifi.
> 
> Sorry for the long notes. Anyways, enjoy?

“Look, just grab a bag and pack your stuff. We're going on a roadtrip.”

 

“To where?” The annoyed, questioning look in Pidge's eyes made me laugh, rolling my eyes. 

 

“Who cares? Off campus, somewhere. It'll be some bonding time. We can bring Hunk along too. Nothing says team bonding like a straight trip to nowhere.” I waggled my eyebrows enticingly. “Come on, you know we need it. We totally crashed that last simulator, and even Iverson said our teamwork was awful.” 

 

“That was  _ your  _ fault!” She accuses, eyes narrowing. “And if we're bonding as a team, we should bring Keith along too. We all know you two need it.”

 

“What?! Keith is gonna ruin it!” I whined, already dreading cramped hours spent near my rival. 

 

“If the whole point is about bonding as a group…” she pointed out. Fuck. I was trapped.

 

“Whatever, a compromise. We can go,  _ but  _ we have to bring  _ mullet  _ along.”

 

“Ugh, fine. I'll text Keith.” She whipped out her phone before I could say anything, typing quickly. 

 

I didn't expect her to agree this easily. “For real? Nice! I'll just, uh, pack my stuff.” The four of us were a team in the Garrison, and though we were all  _ individually  _ great, Pidge was pretentious as hell, and I never understood what she was saying. She would refuse to explain in normal words, too. Rude. Hunk and I got along fine, but he was way too queasy for my tastes in flying. And Keith... _ Keith.  _

 

He was the main pilot, and  _ I  _ was stuck  _ co-piloting.  _ It was ridiculous, and I hated it. Especially because the guy was not only stealing my spotlight, but he was also a stuck up asshole. He never even let me help, and I generally spent our tests arguing with him over which controls were my responsibility and which were his. 

 

In any case, Pidge and Hunk were pretty okay when we weren't in the simulator, and I really wanted to get off of this campus for a while. We had a week off, which we were given to study for exams, but honestly, nobody actually does. 

 

I really wanted to get the transphobic breath of our teachers off my neck, and I'm sure Pidge felt the same, though neither of us mentioned it. 

 

I'd fought tooth and nail to get enrolled in the Garrison as a boy, (because that's what I am. A boy.) And they'd finally relented, putting Pidge and I as roommates just to spite us. Because Pidge is a trans girl, and I'm a trans guy, and of  _ course  _ we have to room together because “we can't be trusted with the others”. Or something. 

 

Hunk had been put with us to pilot because he'd tried to stand up for us, and I think they just wanted to tell us that he was the  _ only  _ one that wouldn't mind. Keith? I have no idea how he got into our team. 

 

The teachers don't like him, even though he has perfect grades (or would, without us dragging him down) and never talks back. It leaves me wondering what the hell he  _ did. _

 

Not that it matters. Pidge sat on her bed, kicking her feet boredly. “Keith says that he's game. Apparently Hunk says it's an awful idea but he's going to come along.” 

 

“How the hell did you convince  _ Keith  _ to come? That guy is like, the least fun person I know.” 

 

“I told him we'd go cryptid hunting.” 

 

I felt my jaw actually drop, before I turned it into a scowl. “ _ Keith  _ is into _ cryptids _ ?” 

 

“Uh, yeah? The guy's practically dating mothman. We follow each other's cryptid blogs, too.”

 

“What the  _ fuck _ , Pidge? First of all, you're  _ consorting  _ with the  _ enemy _ , and secondly-”

 

“Keith isn't the enemy. I thought this whole trip was about growing together as a team, hm Lance?” 

 

“Fuck you. Anyways, we are  _ not  _ going cryptid hunting.” 

 

“We live in Virginia, of course we're going cryptid hunting. Think of the aesthetic, Lance. Sketchy hotels, abandoned gas stations, mothman sightings…” 

 

“As appealing as that sounds, I can't believe it convinced Keith.”

 

As we spoke, I shoved toiletries into my backpack, along with a sweater and a pair of jeans. “So like, we're piling into your mom's old van and just going? Today?” 

 

“Yep.”

 

“Do you have any semblance of a plan?”

 

“Uh, no. That's what makes it fun.” 

 

“This is an awful idea.” But she was packing her own bag with essentials, so it obviously wasn't  _ that  _ awful. 

 

“You ready to go grab Hunk?” I asked.

 

“And Keith.” She added.

 

“And Keith, right. You ready?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Alright, let's go!” It wasn't long before we were standing outside the door to Keith and Hunk's dorm, and I hesitated. Pidge stepped around me, knocking loud and obnoxious. 

 

“We're about to go on an adventure, losers. Let's go.” The door swung open, and Hunk stood there looking skeptical. 

 

“I'm still not sure this is a good idea, Lance.” I gave him a winning smile. 

 

“Of course it's a good idea! It's the best idea! Come on, Hunk. Don't you always say you want to spend more time with dear old Voltron?” It was a nickname we'd given the van, which was so beaten up and old it was no wonder his mom hadn't hesitated to give it to me. 

 

“I meant to  _ fix her up _ , not to  _ drive her.  _ Particularly if we're driving in a random direction with no knowledge of where we're going.”

 

“Are we going or not?” Broody McMullet chipped in, arms crossed in front of his chest and scowling. I blinked over at him. I don't think I've ever seen him out of uniform. Whatever. 

 

“Uh, yes? Relax Hunk,” I patted him on the shoulder. “We're going to need your snacks if we're gonna make it through this.” He sighed, but didn't object further. 

 

“Are you guys all packed up?” It only took a couple moments. It's not like any of us had any belongings to begin with. I was probably the most over-packed, and I could still fit all of my things in a backpack. 

 

“Let’s go!”

 

.

 

Apparently, Hunk doesn't trust me to drive. I thought he was my friend, but it seems it's time to reconsider. Either way though, I got shotgun, so I'm not about to complain too loudly. (I'm still going to complain though. Just, quietly.) 

 

“Let's get in the road trip spirit, you guys!” I grinned maliciously, cranking up the speakers and plugging in my phone. 

 

“This is awful.” Keith raised a judgemental eyebrow at me from the backseat. “I'm not about to listen to your Beyonce playlist for hours on end.” 

 

Pidge agreed, and Hunk just sighed in exasperation. “Maybe we can just agree to disagree, and not have music? This road trip is about coming together as a team, the first hour can't be spent arguing over playlists.” Hunk, always the voice of reason. 

 

I rolled down my window, leaning back into the car seat comfortably. Was it worth vocal dysphoria to sing annoyingly right now? I decided to hold off on that one. After all, I had a week to spare with these three, I can't exhaust all of my ideas at once. 

 

A road trip! I found myself grinning with excitement the moment we left the city, watching fields pass by us as we left urban life behind us. My flight team may be problematic, but there's nothing better than spending hours on end in a big, rusted van, that may or may not have taken several tries just to get moving in the first place. 

 

A couple of tries  _ from a mechanic.  _ Voltron, a car as graceful as her master, truly.

 

* * *

 

“Shit!” We were maybe half an hour into our road trip before Pidge accidentally dumped goldfish crackers onto the floor, before promptly cussing like a fucking sailor.

 

“Pidge, what have you done?!” I screeched from the front seat. Keith rolled his eyes, flipping a page in his book and ignoring us. 

 

“Goldfish are a necessity to any road trip, Lance. Blame Hunk for that unexpected turn!” They grumbled as they picked sad and broken crackers from the ground. Truly, there's no greater bonding exercise than this. 

 

It was silent except for the sound of Keith turning pages, and Pidge's mumbled curse words. I hooked my hands together behind my head in a relaxed position. “I'm bored.” 

 

“This was your idea.” Hunk mentioned, and I groaned, tapping my fingers on the car window. “We've only been on the road for, what, twenty minutes?” He asked, looking at the time suspiciously. 

 

“It's been  _ thirty  _ minutes, and I _ know  _ it was my idea, but you guys aren't even being interesting! I was expecting, like, car trip games, and cool stuff.” 

 

“My idea of the perfect car trip is very little talking, and a whole lot of pokemon grinding.” Pidge commented, picking up her DS from where she'd discarded it to clean up. 

 

Keith blatantly ignored me, again. “Mullet? You awake back there? Hell-o!” I turned to stare at him, and he raised his eyes up to meet mine, looking thoroughly unimpressed. 

 

“I heard you.” I made an indignant squeal that I'm not quite proud of. 

 

“Then come on! Let's play a game or something!” I insisted. Pidge opened up her backpack, tossing me a blue 3DS and raising her eyebrows. 

 

“I've got Mario Party if you want in.” She burrowed through her bag again. “I'm pretty sure I've got another console in here…” I whipped open the device. 

 

“Oh, you two are going  _ down. _ ” 

 

Pidge managed to convince Keith to join us, and we ended up screaming and getting competitive for two more hours until the bot won the game. 

 

To be trampled by an NPC at Mario Party is a bonding experience among people, I must say. Hunk seemed thoroughly bored with our shenanigans. Probably because he'd been driving on open road for hours now, with nothing but corn and outrage to keep his mind occupied. 

 

I tossed the DS back to Pidge when we were finished, still steaming with rage. “So what now?” 

 

“It's like, noon. We might want to find somewhere to stop for a break soon.” Hunk offered, and I agreed immediately. 

 

It was another half hour of tapping on the armrests and staring out the window before we approached a small town, kind of creepy in nature. It probably only had, like, two houses and a gas station. And a McDonald's, thank the Lord. 

 

Getting out of the van was a freeing sensation, and I stretched hugely, hearing my back and knees crack. Yikes. 

 

I was sucking at ice cube water from the bottom of a soft drink when Pidge stood. “You two go ahead, I need to...show Lance a meme.” Hunk raised an eyebrow at that, but obeyed. 

 

“Okay, Keith. How do you feel about driving for the next stretch?” 

 

“Er, I guess…?” When the two of them had been dragged away, Pidge looked at me with concern written all over their face. 

 

“How long have you had your binder on?” She asked, and I froze. Oh, right. 

 

“Uh, four hours, I think?” 

 

“We're probably not going to stop for another five or six, you might want to take it off now.” She informed me, and I sighed. I hadn't really thought this part through. 

 

“But Keith is with us!” I objected. 

 

“So? It's not like he doesn't know you're trans, Lance. You've got to stay safe.” I groaned, knowing she was right. 

 

I sprinted back to the van, grabbing my bag out of the front seat and not bothering to explain to either of them. “Thanks Pidge.” I hissed at her on my way back to the restaurant, ducking into the men's bathroom and hoping like hell I could avoid confrontation. 

 

I was in luck, and managed to get into a stall and pull on a sports bra without anybody else coming in. Time to make my escape. 

 

I hummed the X-files theme as I left the restroom, hurrying back to where the others were waiting. Hunk had betrayed me yet again, stealing the passenger's seat while I'd been delayed. 

  
I scrunched myself into the backseat, pouting, and we were on our way again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was a stupid idea. Pidge and Hunk were okay to hang out with most of the time. Keith was intolerable. But I don't think any of us are going to be able to last a week in each other's company.
> 
>  
> 
> Maybe I was just irritable because I'd had to take my binder off early. Or maybe it was because Keith was in my car or because Pidge was such a know-it-all who'd probably get good grades even without sitting in the backseat studying like a know-it-all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't updated this all week whoops
> 
> Update: I just read this over and the number of grammatical errors ,,, ,ooooh boy I am appalled,,,

I felt brutally uncomfortable without my binder, keenly aware of the seatbelt digging into my chest. Pidge was right, though. I still found myself glancing nervously at Keith in the mirror.

 

It wasn't that he'd _ care _ , it's just that we hardly knew each other, besides the incessant bickering and one game of Mario Party. It didn't feel right. 

 

“Alright, what next?” I asked, breaking the silence that had been draped over us. “I'm bored.” 

 

Pidge and Keith tactfully ignored me, but Hunk agreed to do  _ something  _ to pass the time. 

“We could do Truth or Dare!” I suggested. 

 

“What kind of dares could we even do? We're in a car.” Pidge objected, but I shook my head. 

“No, no. If we aren't doing dares, it can still be Truth or Dare. Or, like, a truth circle.”

 

“Stupid idea.” Keith didn't miss a beat. I crossed my arms over my chest. My too-large, uncomfortable chest.

 

“Um, excuse you? This is a  _ bonding exercise.  _ And excellent idea.” 

 

“Right, sure.” Hunk sighed, but Pidge shot me a mischievous grin. 

 

“I agree with Lance. This is a  _ great  _ idea.”

 

“Oh god, nevermind.” I quickly tried to amend my mistake after seeing the look on Pidge's face. 

 

“If Lance says no, I'm going to swoop back in and say yes, Pidge, this idea is great.” Keith piped in, and I groaned. 

 

“No, please…”

 

“Are you scared?” Keith teased, not taking his eyes off the road.

 

“I'm not scared!” I sat up a little straighter. “Let's do this, then! Pidge, hit me with your toughest question!”

 

She raised an eyebrow. “Did you have a crush on Hunk in middle school.” I felt my face go bright red. 

 

“Pidge! You  _ know  _ the answer to that!” I shrieked, but she just cackled. 

 

“Keith doesn't. Hunk doesn't. Answer the question…!” 

 

“Fine! I did! But that was a phase and we agreed  _ not to talk about that point in time.  _ I was... younger! And stupid!” I exclaimed, face burning. 

 

Hunk shrugged. “I kind of figured, to be honest.” Keith just went silent. 

 

I found myself worrying suddenly. I'd never mentioned anything about my... orientation...to him. I really hadn't come fully to terms with it myself, to be honest. 

 

Maybe he was questioning me. My masculinity in general. I wouldn't blame him, I'd questioned it a lot myself. Maybe I was just...just a confused straight girl. Or something. Or, bisexual, maybe. 

 

There was uncomfortable silence for a moment, before I realized it was my turn to ask a question now. 

 

“K-Keith! Are you also at least a  _ little  _ gay for Hunk?” I waggled my eyebrows and hoped they hadn't noticed the small quavering in my voice. I saw a smile tug at his lips in the mirror. 

“Gay? Yes. For Hunk? Not really.” He glanced over at Hunk, and they both burst into giggles when I made an incoherent, shocked noise. 

 

Wait. 

 

_ Wait.  _

 

Keith? Was gay? I realized my mouth had opened and I closed it. “Wait a minute!” I shrieked with realization. “That's why you're on our team!” 

 

Pidge side-eyed me. “Wait, you didn't know?” 

 

“Nobody told me! Dude! That's why the teachers didn't like you! That’s why you're stuck with us! I can't believe it! We're all LGBT buddies!” My voice was trailing into high-pitched territory in my surprise, which I noticed and immediately felt gross about. Too late now, I guess.

 

Keith composed himself from laughing. “Yeah. That'd be it. I can't believe you didn't notice?” I felt my face going crimson. Hunk reached over and patted my shoulder comfortingly. 

 

“It's okay, buddy. We love you despite your obliviousness.”

 

I pouted slightly, and he retracted his arm gently. “Keith's turn to ask now, right?” 

 

“Oh, I uh,” he paused. “I'm not good at things like this.” He fumbled with his words. “I'll just...uhm…” 

 

His face was going red, and I couldn't help but smirk. He glanced into the mirror, looking at us as we watched him expectantly. “I don't know what to ask. I've never done something like this before.” He mumbled. 

 

Pidge quickly jumped to compensate. “Don't worry! How about you ask Hunk about his huge, immeasurable crush on Shay?” She leaned forward into her seat, and I egged her on. 

 

“Yeah! Ask Hunk about his  _ girlfriend. _ ” Hunk reddened, but laughed. 

 

“You guys! She's not my girlfriend.” 

 

He raised his eyebrows. “I already know everything there is to know.” He said, calmly. “He talks about her all the time.” 

 

I gasped. “You two are roommates! I can't have this! Keith, you're  _ stealing my best friend away from me _ ! Ask him something you know, so he has to admit it to us, too. I can't have you knowing things about him that I I don't. And that's what Pidge did."

 

“Hmmm, okay. Hunk, how many times did she wear those little hoop earrings this week? He smirked, making eye contact with me in the mirror. “He gushes about how cute they are  _ all the damn time. _ I'm sure he's keeping track.” 

 

“Four days out of seven.” Hunk responds, flustered. “And they are cute! You wouldn't understand.” 

 

Crushing Hunk is the most precious thing I've ever seen, I think. He's so pure about the whole thing. A complete and utter gentleman. I aspire to be him, truly. 

 

We ended up cutting off the game there, when nobody could think of anything to ask Pidge. 

 

“Should we be looking up places to stay for the night?” Hunk asked, already opening Google on his phone. 

 

“Relax, Hunk. It's only like, what, one? In the afternoon? It'll be hours before we have to find a rest stop.” 

 

“Yes, but I for one don't want to be stuck sleeping in the van, illegally parked in a Denny's parking lot. Because we all know that's what's going to happen.” He complained. 

I frowned. “That's not going to happen. Trust me, there'll be somewhere for us to stay.” He just sighed. 

 

He ended up turning on the radio, despite the fact that we'd agreed not too. Though, the music he played was mild, and calming, so none of us complained. 

 

We drove on in silence for a few hours more. Me, staring out the window and tapping on the armrest subconsciously. Pidge, doing homework or something (nerd? We came on this trip to avoid studying, didn't we?) Hunk ended up finally giving in to his anxieties and checking google maps for places to stay. 

 

There was one, a couple hours’ drive from our current location. A tiny, rural place. Supposedly there was some heritage spot around, drawing in at least enough tourism to make the motel worthwhile. 

 

More driving. Keith started complaining. “Lance, this was a terrible idea. I don't think I've ever been so bored in my life.”

 

“Shut up, mullet! I didn't want to drag you along in the first place, but Pidge  _ insisted. _ ” She looked up from her book. 

 

“I'm only here for the cryptid hotspots. Don't drag me into this.” 

 

“Could you three stop arguing?” Hunk pinched the bridge of his nose, sounding fed up. I was surprised we hadn't had to stop and let him vomit yet, with his motion sickness. I suppose on the highway it's not as big of a deal. 

 

“We weren't arguing!” I said, and my voice cracked. I immediately felt my self confidence drop at the pitch of that voice. Keith snorted. 

 

“Right, sure. You weren't arguing. Believe what you want, if it makes you feel better.” He rolled his eyes. 

 

Pidge dropped into the conversation again. “You two were about to argue. Can confirm.” 

 

“Shut up!” I muttered. “Why does it matter, anyways?” 

 

“This is bad enough as it is, I don't need you guys at each other's throats the entire time-” Hunk began. 

 

“Keith started it!” 

 

“Uh, no.  _ You _ -” 

 

“Guys! Shut it!” 

 

“Don't tell me to shut it! I will-”

 

“-gremlin-!”

 

“-damn greasy mullet…” 

 

“Did I not tell you to stop arguing?” 

 

We all shut up eventually, but we were still bitter and glaring at each other. I found myself on the receiving end of most of them. Moody silence took over. 

 

This was a stupid idea. Pidge and Hunk were okay to hang out with most of the time. Keith was intolerable. But I don't think any of us are going to be able to last a week in each other's company. 

 

Maybe I was just irritable because I'd had to take my binder off early. Or maybe it was because  _ Keith  _ was in  _ my car  _ or because  _ Pidge  _ was such a know-it-all who'd probably get good grades even without sitting in the backseat studying like a know-it-all.

 

I felt brutally uncomfortable without my binder, keenly aware of the seatbelt digging into my chest. Pidge was right, though. Even though I hated her for pointing out my unsafe behaviour. I still found myself glancing nervously at Keith in the mirror.

It wasn't that he'd _ care  _ that I was trans , it's just that we hardly knew each other, besides the incessant bickering and one game of Mario Party. It didn't feel right to look outwardly feminine around someone who I really wasn't comfortable with.

“Alright, what next?” I asked, breaking the silence that had been draped over us. “I'm bored.” 

Pidge and Keith tactfully ignored me, but Hunk agreed to do  _ something  _ to pass the time. 

“We could do Truth or Dare!” I suggested. 

“What kind of dares could we even do? We're in a car.” Pidge objected, but I shook my head. 

“No, no. If we aren't doing dares, it can still be Truth or Dare. Or, like, a truth circle.”

“Stupid idea.” Keith didn't miss a beat. I crossed my arms over my chest. My too-large, uncomfortable chest.

“Um, excuse you? This is a  _ bonding exercise.  _ And excellent idea.” 

“Right, sure.” Hunk sighed, but Pidge shot me a mischievous grin. 

“I agree with Lance. This is a  _ great  _ idea.”

“Oh god, nevermind.” I quickly tried to amend my mistake after seeing the look on Pidge's face. 

“If Lance says no, I'm going to swoop back in and say yes, Pidge, this idea is great.” Keith piped in, and I groaned. 

“No, please…”

“Are you scared?” Keith teased, not taking his eyes off the road.

“I'm not scared!” I sat up a little straighter. “Let's do this, then! Pidge, hit me with your toughest question!”

She raised an eyebrow. “Did you have a crush on Hunk in middle school.” I felt my face go bright red. 

“Pidge! You  _ know  _ the answer to that!” I shrieked, but she just cackled. 

“Keith doesn't. Hunk doesn't. Answer the question…!” 

“Fine! I did! But that was a phase and we agreed  _ not to talk about that point in time.  _ I was... younger! And stupid!” I exclaimed, face burning. 

Hunk shrugged. “I kind of figured, to be honest.” Keith just went silent. 

I found myself worrying suddenly. I'd never mentioned anything about my... orientation...to him. I really hadn't come fully to terms with it myself, to be honest. 

Maybe he was questioning me. M masculinity in general. I wouldn't blame him, I'd questioned it myself. Maybe I was just...just a confused straight girl. Or something. Or, bisexual or something. 

There was uncomfortable silence for a moment, before I realized it was my turn to ask a question now. 

“K-Keith! Are you also at least a  _ little  _ gay for Hunk?” I waggled my eyebrows and hoped they hadn't noticed the small quavering in my voice. I saw a smile tug at his lips in the mirror. 

“Gay? Yes. For Hunk? Not really.” He glanced over at Hunk, and they both burst into giggles when I made an incoherent, shocked noise. 

Wait. 

_ Wait.  _

Keith? Was gay? I realized my mouth had opened and I closed it. “Wait a minute!” I shrieked with realization. “That's why you're on our team!” 

Pidge side-eyed me. “Wait, you didn't know?” 

“Nobody told me! Dude! That's why the teachers didn't like you! That’s why you're stuck with us! I can't believe it! We're LGBT buddies!” My voice was trailing into high-pitched territory in my surprise, which I noticed and immediately felt gross about. Too late now, I guess.

Keith composed himself from laughing. “Yeah. That'd be it. I can't believe you didn't notice?” I felt my face going crimson. Hunk reached over and patted my shoulder comfortingly. 

“It's okay, buddy. We love you despite your obliviousness.”

I pouted slightly, and he retracted his arm gently. “Keith's turn to ask now, right?” 

“Oh, I uh,” he paused. “I'm not good at things like this.” He fumbled with his words. “I'll just...uhm…” 

His face was going red, and I couldn't help but smirk. He glanced into the mirror, looking at us as we watched him expectantly. “I don't know what to ask. I've never done something like this before.” He mumbled. 

Pidge quickly jumped to compensate. “Don't worry! How about you ask Hunk about his huge, immeasurable crush on Shay?” She leaned forward into her seat, and I egged her on. 

“Yeah! Ask Hunk about his  _ girlfriend. _ ” Hunk reddened, but laughed. 

“You guys! She's not my girlfriend.” 

He raised his eyebrows. “I already know everything there is to know.” He said, calmly. “He talks about her all the time.” 

I gasped. “You two are roommates! I can't have this! Keith, you're  _ stealing my best friend away from me _ ! Ask him something you know, so he has to admit it to us, too. That's what Pidge did.” 

“Hmmm, okay. Hunk, how many times did she wear those little hoop earrings this week? He smirked, making eye contact with me in the mirror. “He gushes about how cute they are  _ all the damn time. _ I'm sure he's keeping track.” 

“Four days out of seven.” Hunk responds, flustered. “And they are cute! You wouldn't understand.” 

Crushing Hunk is the most precious thing I've ever seen, I think. He's so pure about the whole thing. A complete and utter gentleman. I aspire to be him, truly. 

We ended up cutting off the game there, when nobody could think of anything to ask Pidge. 

“Should we be looking up places to stay for the night?” Hunk asked, already opening Google on his phone. 

“Relax, Hunk. It's only like, what, one? In the afternoon? It'll be hours before we have to find a rest stop.” 

“Yes, but I for one don't want to be stuck sleeping in the van, illegally parked in a Denny's parking lot. Because we all know that's what's going to happen.” He complained. 

I frowned. “That's not going to happen. Trust me, there'll be somewhere for us to stay.” He just sighed. 

He ended up turning on the radio, despite the fact that we'd agreed not too. Though, the music he played was mild, and calming, so none of us complained. 

We drove on in silence for a few hours more. Me, staring out the window and tapping on the armrest subconsciously. Pidge, doing homework or something (nerd? we came on this trip to avoid studying, didn't we?). Hunk ended up finally giving in to his anxieties and checking google maps for places to stay. 

There was one, a couple hours’ drive from our current location. A tiny, rural place. Supposedly there was some heritage spot around, drawing in at least enough tourism to make the motel worthwhile. 

More driving. Keith started complaining. “Lance, this was a terrible idea. I don't think I've ever been so bored in my life.”

“Shut up, mullet! I didn't want to drag you along in the first place, but Pidge  _ insisted. _ ” She looked up from her book. 

“I'm only here for the cryptid hotspots. Don't drag me into this.” 

“Could you three stop arguing?” Hunk pinched the bridge of his nose, sounding fed up. I was surprised we hadn't had to stop and let him vomit yet, with his motion sickness. I suppose on the highway it's not as big of a deal. 

“We weren't arguing!” I said, and my voice cracked. I immediately felt my self confidence drop at the pitch of that voice. Keith snorted. 

“Right, sure. You weren't arguing. Believe what you want, if it makes you feel better.” He rolled his eyes. 

Pidge dropped into the conversation again. “You two were about to argue. Can confirm.” 

“Shut up!” I muttered. “Why does it matter, anyways?” 

“This is bad enough as it is, I don't need you guys at each other's throats the entire time-” Hunk began. 

“Keith started it!” 

“Uh, no.  _ You _ -” 

“Guys! Shut it!” 

“Don't tell me to shut it! I will-”

“-gremlin-!”

“-damn greasy mullet…” 

“Did I not tell you to stop arguing?” 

We all shut up eventually, but we were still bitter and glaring at each other. I found myself on the receiving end of most of them. Moody silence took over. 

This was a stupid idea. Pidge and Hunk were okay to hang out with most of the time. Keith was intolerable. But I don't think any of us are going to be able to last a week in each other's company. 

Maybe I was just irritable because I'd had to take my binder off early. Or maybe it was because  _ Keith  _ was in  _ my car  _ or because  _ Pidge  _ was such a know-it-all who'd probably get good grades even without studying in the car. 

In any case, we were all appalled to find out, still stiff-legged and annoyed, that the motel in this rural town was all booked. Because of a  _ corn festival.  _ Fucking…corn? What the hell. 

This is how nightmares come into fruition. Out in the middle of nowhere, with nothing but a van and your three annoying teammates. Lo and behold, irony hits me hard when we end up parked in a Denny's parking lot, grumbling and trying to figure out how we're all going to fit in the van. 

“I told you, Lance! Remember? I said this was going to happen and you  _ ignored _ me.” I raised my hands in the air, guilty as charged. 

“How was I supposed to know there'd be a corn festival?!” The street lights started flickering on around us, though a lot of them were burnt out. It was dark out, and we were all starting to get cold standing outside the vehicle. 

Keith sighed, a bit melodramatically if you ask me. “At least it's a van. There'll probably be space. You can fold the seats down, right?” I nodded. 

“They're a bit rusty, not really in prime condition, but yeah. The seats fold down into the floor.” Ten minutes later, we'd fiddled with the chairs until they folded in. 

I kept a spare blanket in the back, so we whipped that out too and submitted to our fate. 

I wasn't expecting our first night to involve trying to sleep, my body overheating and my feet freezing cold, cuddled between three people. Hunk, who was mad at me, but surprisingly soft. Pidge, also mad at me, and boney too. Like, really sharp. I would not recommend cuddling with her. Ever. And Keith, again, pissed off at me, malleability unspecified. (I'm just trying really, really hard not to think about that last part.) 

Pidge drifted off first. She always fell asleep easily. Probably because she was so sleep deprived, her body seized every opportunity it had to get rest. That girl doesn't know the meaning of self care, I swear. 

Now it was just Hunk, Keith, and I. Three bros, snuggling together with a gremlin sleeping on top of them. As bros do. 

I ended up squirming closer to Hunk. As much as I'm generally a touchy person, I hate being cuddled. Especially with people I'm not comfortable with (i.e. Keith). It draws too much attention to the fact that I _ look like a girl _ . 

When I shift away, though, I realize that Keith must've fallen asleep after all, because he made a small, sleepy noise and moved with me. His breathing was even, too, and there's no way a conscious Keith would put his arm on my side and squeeze me closer to himself. 

I froze, heat pooling in my cheeks. Glancing up, I saw that the awkward moment didn't go unnoticed by Hunk, either. I pulled on my best poker face, trying to pretend I couldn't feel my rival and annoying teammate spooning me. 

I promptly decided that the best course of action in this situation would be to hide my reaction by shoving my burning face into Hunk's chest and pretending to be asleep. 

That being said, sleep didn't come easily. Not that I expected it to, given our situation. But I wasn't expecting to be laying here, uncomfortable, and hyper-aware of an arm slung around my waist.  _ Keith's _ arm. Of all people, really? I never would've suspected him, of all people, to be a cuddler. 

Waking up was warm and hazy, and it took a moment of dissociation before I actually came to and  _ woke up  _ for real. Pidge's boney-ass elbow was poking painfully into my stomach, and I was huddled in a ball, pressed up against Hunk. Keith's hand still rested on my hip, but the rest of his body was splayed outward, away from me. 

I groaned, trying to unfurl myself from the uncomfortable sleeping position and feeling my back crack stiffly as I did so. 

Then I realized what had woken me up. A defeated-looking Denny's worker had been knocking on the window. I sat up immediately, and suddenly Keith was up and actually on his feet, slamming into the car's ceiling painfully and cursing as he hunched down again. 

“What the fu-” realization dawned on his sleepy eyes. “Oh.” He glared at me. “You're dealing with this. You're the one who got us into this situation.” He sat back down, and i sighed, heaving myself upright and opening the car door. 

The guy looked about our age, and had one eyebrow raised in a look that was questioning, but seemingly not surprised. 

I suppose you see a lot of things when you frequent a Denny's parking lot. “You guys really shouldn't be parked here all night.” He said, bluntly. I scratched the back of my neck awkwardly. 

“Uh, yeah. Sorry. Shit happens, you know? Um. Please don't call the cops on us?” 

He actually laughed. “Don't worry. It's not worth their time. Just get out fast, 'kay? I'll get in trouble for letting you be here.”

“Thanks, man.” I offered a fist bump, and he complied, making his way back to the building. 

“No problem.” He called over his shoulder. Alrighty. I opened the back door of the van. 

“Let's get this show on the road!” I was met with steely looks from my teammates. 

“I have never been so sore in my life.” Pidge was the first to complain, as if she hadn't been stabbing us with her ridiculous boniness the entire time. 

“I'd complain a lot more if Lance wasn't so soft and cuddly. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to complain. This was a terrible idea. We should go home.” Hunk crossed his arms over his chest. 

“I am  _ not  _ soft and cuddly!” I complained, but Hunk raised an eyebrow. 

“Keith seemed to disagree with that.” He snickered, and I went red. 

“Yeah, Keith! What the hell was that about?!” 

“What?” His ears tinged pink, and he looked legitimately confused. 

“You were totally trying to spoon Lance all night.” Hunk teased, and Keith immediately looked mortified. 

“I wasn't...that. That wasn't intentional. I just... I'm used to sleeping with uh, something.” His blush got darker, and I found myself probing, though Hunk seemed to pull back after hearing that statement. 

“What, you've got a teddy bear or something?” Hunk elbowed me in the side. 

“Don't, Lance. That's not it. It's more complicated than you think.” He frowned at me, seemingly uncertain. 

“Oh, uh. Okay.” I gave in, though I couldn't help but glance over at my rival curiously. He was avoiding my eyes, and I couldn't help but notice that there was a hint of pain in his eyes. I was no stranger to unintentionally hurtful questions, so I didn't look much further into it. 

“Anyways! Let's get going, that guy said he wasn't going to get us in trouble, so long as we left. All thanks to my charm and subtle persuasion, of course.”

I winked at Pidge, but she didn't seem impressed. “So are we going back home, or are we going to keep going? The first mothman sighting isn't far from here.” She waggled her eyebrows at Keith. 

Fucking cryptid nerds. Though, I wasn't about to complain if it meant we got to continue our disaster of a spontaneous road trip. 

“We can keep going, on the condition that we find our next spot now as opposed to later.” Hunk gave in, and I pumped my fist in the air. 

  
“Alright! Let's go!"

 

In any case, we were all appalled to find out, still stiff-legged and annoyed, that the motel in this rural town was all booked. Because of a  _ corn festival.  _ Fucking…corn? What the hell. 

 

This is how nightmares come into fruition. Out in the middle of nowhere, with nothing but a van and your three annoying teammates. Lo and behold, irony hits me hard when we end up parked in a Denny's parking lot, grumbling and trying to figure out how we're all going to fit in the van. 

 

“I told you, Lance! Remember? I said this was going to happen and you  _ ignored _ me.” I raised my hands in the air, guilty as charged. 

 

“How was I supposed to know there'd be a corn festival?!” The street lights started flickering on around us, though a lot of them were burnt out. It was dark out, and we were all starting to get cold standing outside the vehicle. 

 

Keith sighed, a bit melodramatically if you ask me. “At least it's a van. There'll probably be space. You can fold the seats down, right?” I nodded. 

 

“They're a bit rusty, not really in prime condition, but yeah. The seats fold down into the floor.” Ten minutes later, we'd fiddled with the chairs until they folded in. 

 

I kept a spare blanket in the back, so we whipped that out too and submitted to our fate. 

I wasn't expecting our first night to involve trying to sleep, my body overheating and my feet freezing cold, cuddled between three people. Hunk, who was mad at me, but surprisingly soft. Pidge, also mad at me, and boney too. Like, really sharp. I would not recommend cuddling with her. Ever. And Keith, again, pissed off at me, malleability unspecified. (I'm just trying really, really hard not to think about that last part.) 

 

Pidge drifted off first. She always fell asleep easily. Probably because she was so sleep deprived, her body seized every opportunity it had to get rest. That girl doesn't know the meaning of self care, I swear. 

 

Now it was just Hunk, Keith, and I. Three bros, snuggling together with a gremlin sleeping on top of them. As bros do. 

 

I ended up squirming closer to Hunk. As much as I'm generally a touchy person, I hate being cuddled. Especially with people I'm not comfortable with (i.e. Keith). It draws too much attention to the fact that I _ look like a girl _ . 

 

When I shift away, though, I realize that Keith must've fallen asleep after all, because he made a small, sleepy noise and moved with me. His breathing was even, too, and there's no way a conscious Keith would put his arm on my side and squeeze me closer to himself. 

 

I froze, heat pooling in my cheeks. Glancing up, I saw that the awkward moment didn't go unnoticed by Hunk, either. I pulled on my best poker face, trying to pretend I couldn't feel my rival and annoying teammate spooning me. 

 

I promptly decided that the best course of action in this situation would be to hide my reaction by shoving my burning face into Hunk's chest and pretending to be asleep. 

 

That being said, sleep didn't come easily. Not that I expected it to, given our situation. But I wasn't expecting to be laying here, uncomfortable, and hyper-aware of an arm slung around my waist.  _ Keith's _ arm. Of all people, really? I never would've suspected him, of all people, to be a cuddler. 

 

Waking up was warm and hazy, and it took a moment of dissociation before I actually came to and  _ woke up  _ for real. Pidge's boney-ass elbow was poking painfully into my stomach, and I was huddled in a ball, pressed up against Hunk. Keith's hand still rested on my hip, but the rest of his body was splayed outward, away from me. 

 

I groaned, trying to unfurl myself from the uncomfortable sleeping position and feeling my back crack stiffly as I did so. 

 

Then I realized what had woken me up. A defeated-looking Denny's worker had been knocking on the window. I sat up immediately, and suddenly Keith was up and actually on his feet, slamming into the car's ceiling painfully and cursing as he hunched down again. 

 

“What the fu-” realization dawned on his sleepy eyes. “Oh.” He glared at me. “You're dealing with this. You're the one who got us into this situation.” He sat back down, and i sighed, heaving myself upright and opening the car door. 

 

The guy looked about our age, and had one eyebrow raised in a look that was questioning, but seemingly not surprised. 

 

I suppose you see a lot of things when you frequent a Denny's parking lot. “You guys really shouldn't be parked here all night.” He said, bluntly. I scratched the back of my neck awkwardly. 

 

“Uh, yeah. Sorry. Shit happens, you know? Um. Please don't call the cops on us?” 

 

He actually laughed. “Don't worry. It's not worth their time. Just get out fast, 'kay? I'll get in trouble for letting you be here.”

 

“Thanks, man.” I offered a fist bump, and he complied, making his way back to the building. 

“No problem.” He called over his shoulder. Alrighty. I opened the back door of the van. 

 

“Let's get this show on the road!” I was met with steely looks from my teammates. 

 

“I have never been so sore in my life.” Pidge was the first to complain, as if she hadn't been stabbing us with her ridiculous boniness the entire time. 

 

“I'd complain a lot more if Lance wasn't so soft and cuddly. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to complain. This was a terrible idea. We should go home.” Hunk crossed his arms over his chest. 

 

“I am  _ not  _ soft and cuddly!” I complained, but Hunk raised an eyebrow. 

 

“Keith seemed to disagree with that.” He snickered, and I went red. 

 

“Yeah, Keith! What the hell was that about?!” 

 

“What?” His ears tinged pink, and he looked legitimately confused. 

 

“You were totally trying to spoon Lance all night.” Hunk teased, and Keith immediately looked mortified. 

 

“I wasn't...that. That wasn't intentional. I just... I'm used to sleeping with uh, something.” His blush got darker, and I found myself probing, though Hunk seemed to pull back after hearing that statement. 

 

“What, you've got a teddy bear or something?” Hunk elbowed me in the side. 

 

“Don't, Lance. That's not it. It's more complicated than you think.” He frowned at me, seemingly uncertain. 

 

“Oh, uh. Okay.” I gave in, though I couldn't help but glance over at my rival curiously. He was avoiding my eyes, and I couldn't help but notice that there was a hint of pain in his eyes. I was no stranger to unintentionally hurtful questions, so I didn't look much further into it. 

 

“Anyways! Let's get going, that guy said he wasn't going to get us in trouble, so long as we left. All thanks to my charm and subtle persuasion, of course.”

 

I winked at Pidge, but she didn't seem impressed. “So are we going back home, or are we going to keep going? The first mothman sighting isn't far from here.” She waggled her eyebrows at Keith. 

 

Fucking cryptid nerds. Though, I wasn't about to complain if it meant we got to continue our disaster of a spontaneous road trip. 

 

“We can keep going, on the condition that we find our next spot now as opposed to later.” Hunk gave in, and I pumped my fist in the air. 

  
“Alright! Let's go!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk when I'll update next probably in 4747271 years  
> this is purely self indulgent? where are they ? I don't know. I honestly....I'm too lazy to figure out where they are. Somewhere in Virginia. I don't care abt inconsistencies ok I'm not a geographer I don't know, nor do I care  
> sorry

**Author's Note:**

> :)


End file.
